Toxic Stew View ?

Hong Kong March 23, 2010. – Five star luxury hotels along the famed Hong Kong Harbour rightly boast and regale their prized prime positions. Facing one of the most spectacular skyline views in the modern world today. They are all here, Shangri-La Conrad, Peninsula, Four Seasons, W and a soon to open Ritz Carlton. In fact even some of the more modest digs may offer a world class view. Together with the spectacular array of buildings, a buzzing Harbour all set to a back drop of sharp edged hills in the distance.

However. this story really needs to begin like a fairy tale….”Once upon a time…” as that now days is the sad truth to it all. Like Disneyland on distant Lantau Island in Hong Kong, fresh air is but a fairy tale story, so distant is the chance to actually see the view over Hong Kong Harbour.

From my very first visits here over 15 years ago, when ever you checked into a hotel, the front desk staff would offer to up sell or up grade you to a Harbour view, notably with a 50% increase in your room rate, no doubt cream on top for the Hotel revenue stream. But what can they say now…”thank you for choosing to stay with us…. now would you like a Toxic Stew View with that sir? That’s what it is now, a poisonous smoggy stew of humid air, combined with dust and pollution blown down from China along with Hong Kongs own mounting exhaust emissions. Visibility is so low the number of “potent” days of opaque glazing has doubled in the last ten years, earlier this week the level was recorded in excess of 300. A point that most cities would declare a state of emergency.

The fragrant Harbour has been fouled, and while locals and expats alike seemingly live in denial, the matter only gets worse. Forget masks for SARS or Swine Flu you need one just to get by on the streets. While we can all wash our hands to avoid the flu, one can only hope the local government wont continue to wash their hands of a crisis that, potentially is far worse and with far more enduring consequences that a bad cold.